Luke Gambin

Luke Gambin

Personal information
Full name	Luke David Gambin [1]
Date of birth	(1993-03-16) 16 March 1993 (age 31) [2]
Place of birth	Sutton, London, England
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) [3]
Position(s)	Winger
Team information
Current team	Hayes & Yeading United
Youth career
	AFC Wimbledon
2009–2011	Barnet
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2011–2017	Barnet	124	(15)
2011–2012	→ Hemel Hempstead Town (loan)	4	(0)
2012	→ Hendon (loan)	2	(0)
2017–2019	Luton Town	29	(2)
2018–2019	→ Crawley Town (loan)	26	(3)
2019–2021	Colchester United	39	(1)
2021	→ Newport County (loan)	11	(1)
2021–2022	Ħamrun Spartans	25	(2)
2022–2023	Sutton United	5	(0)
2023–	Hayes & Yeading United	22	(1)
International career‡
2016–	Malta	36	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:34, 11 May 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:24, 12 August 2024 (UTC)

Luke David Gambin (born 16 March 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Isthmian League South Central Division club Hayes & Yeading United. Born in England, he represents the Malta national team.

Career

Barnet

Born in Sutton, London, ^[2] Gambin began his career in the youth system at AFC Wimbledon before moving to Barnet as an apprentice in 2009. ^{[3] [4]} He made his first-team debut in a 4–0 win at home to former club AFC Wimbledon on 28 April 2012, coming on as a late substitute for Scott McGleish, ^[5] before signing his first professional contract in the summer of 2012. ^[6] Gambin made his first appearance of 2012–13 after being introduced as a 66th-minute substitute in a 3–0 defeat away to Bradford City on 15 September 2012. ^[7] He found first-team opportunities limited, joining Isthmian League Premier Division club Hendon on loan in November 2012, and debuted as a substitute in a 2–1 defeat away to Aldershot Town in the FA Cup first round. ^{[8] [9]} He completed the loan spell with three appearances. ^[8] Gambin broke into the Barnet first-team towards the end of the season and scored his first goal for the club in a 4–1 win at home to Morecambe on 9 March 2013. ^[7] He finished the season with two goals from 10 appearances, ^[7] but was unable to help Barnet prevent relegation to the Conference Premier. ^[10]

Gambin signed a new long-term contract with Barnet a little more than a week before the start of 2013–14. ^[11] He scored Barnet's first goal in a 3–0 win at home to Chester on the opening day of the season and finished 2013–14 with one goal from 25 appearances. ^[12] Gambin scored four goals in 26 league appearances for Barnet in 2014–15 as the club won the Conference Premier title and therefore promotion to League Two. ^[12] After the end of the season, Barnet took up the option to extend Gambin's contract. ^[13] In Barnet's first season back in the Football League, Gambin scored four goals in 49 appearances, ^[14] as they finished 15th in League Two. ^[15]

He made his first appearance of 2016–17 in the starting lineup away to Cambridge United on the opening day of the season, which finished as a 1–1 draw. ^[16] Barnet accepted a bid in excess of £100,000 from Leyton Orient for Gambin in August 2016, but he rejected the opportunity and instead stayed with the club. ^[17] His first goal of the season came on 8 October 2016 against Doncaster Rovers, when he scored a late equaliser in the 86th minute to make the score 2–2, although Barnet went on to lose 3–2. ^[18] After four goals from 21 appearances, Gambin was transfer listed after he rejected an offer of a new contract for the fourth time. ^[19]

Luton Town

Gambin signed for League Two club Luton Town on 16 January 2017 on a two-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee, with the option of a further year. ^[4] He made his debut five days later, starting in Luton's 1–1 draw away to Wycombe Wanderers. ^[20] Gambin scored his first goal for Luton with the second goal in a 3–0 victory at home to Hartlepool United on 14 February. ^[21] He was an unused substitute in both legs of their 6–5 aggregate play-off semi-final defeat to Blackpool, ^{[22] [23]} and finished 2016–17 with 17 appearances and one goal. ^[24]

He joined League Two club Crawley Town on 31 August 2018 on loan until the end of 2018–19. ^[25] Gambin was released by Luton when his contract expired at the end of the 2018–19 season. ^[26]

Colchester United

Gambin signed for League Two club Colchester United on 26 June 2019 on a two-year contract, effective from 1 July. ^[27] He made his club debut as a substitute for Jevani Brown in Colchester's 1–1 home draw with Port Vale on 3 August. ^[28] He scored his first goal for the club on 29 October 2019 in Colchester's 3–1 EFL Cup victory against his former club Crawley Town. ^{[29] [30]}

He joined Colchester's divisional rivals Newport County on 20 January 2021 on loan until the end of the season. ^[31] His debut came three days later in a 3–2 away defeat to Oldham Athletic, in which he scored Newport's second goal. ^[32]

Ħamrun Spartans

Gambin signed for Ħamrun Spartans in July 2021. ^[33]

Sutton United

On 16 July 2022, Gambin returned to England to join League Two club Sutton United having already featured in friendlies across pre-season. ^[34] He was released at the end of the 2022–23 season. ^[35]

Hayes & Yeading

On 25 November 2023, Gambin signed for Southern League South Premier club Hayes & Yeading United. He made his debut the against Swindon Supermarine in which he scored. ^[36]

International career

Gambin is of Maltese descent and joined the Malta squad for training in June 2015. ^[37] His application for Maltese citizenship was successful and he was called up to the national team in May 2016. ^[38] He debuted later that week, starting in a 6–0 friendly defeat to the Czech Republic. ^[39] Gambin scored his first international goal in a 2–2 draw with Slovakia in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match on 27 March 2021. ^[12]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played end of 2022–23 season

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Barnet	2011–12 [5]	League Two	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
	2012–13 [7]	League Two	10	2	—		0	0	0	0	10	2
	2013–14 [12]	Conference Premier	24	1	0	0	—		1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	25	1
	2014–15 [12]	Conference Premier	26	4	2	0	—		2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	30	4
	2015–16 [14]	League Two	44	4	2	0	2	0	1 [lower-alpha 2]	0	49	4
	2016–17 [24]	League Two	19	4	1	0	1	0	0	0	21	4
	Total		124	15	5	0	3	0	4	0	136	15
Hemel Hempstead Town (loan)	2011–12 [40]	Southern League Premier Division	4	0	—		—		1 [lower-alpha 3]	1	5	1
Hendon (loan)	2012–13 [8]	Isthmian League Premier Division	2	0	1	0	—		—		3	0
Luton Town	2016–17 [24]	League Two	16	1	—		—		1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	17	1
	2017–18 [41]	League Two	13	1	2	0	1	0	4 [lower-alpha 4]	1	20	2
	2018–19 [42]	League One	0	0	—		1	0	0	0	1	0
	Total		29	2	2	0	2	0	5	1	38	3
Crawley Town (loan)	2018–19 [42]	League Two	26	3	2	0	—		0	0	28	3
Colchester United	2019–20 [29]	League Two	28	1	1	0	5	1	3 [lower-alpha 5]	0	37	2
	2020–21 [43]	League Two	11	0	0	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 4]	0	13	0
	Total		39	1	1	0	5	1	5	0	50	2
Newport County (loan)	2020–21 [43]	League Two	11	1	—		—		—		11	1
Ħamrun Spartans	2021–22 [12]	Maltese Premier League	25	2	3	0	—		—		28	2
Sutton United	2022–23 [44]	League Two	5	0	1	0	1	0	3 [lower-alpha 4]	0	10	0
Career total			265	24	15	0	11	1	18	2	309	26

1. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
2. Appearance in Football League Trophy
3. Appearance in Southern League Cup
4. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
5. One appearance in EFL Trophy, two in League Two play-offs

International

As of match played 20 November 2022 ^{[45] [46]}

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Malta
	2016	6	0
	2017	7	0
	2018	4	0
	2019	5	0
	2020	6	0
	2021	4	1
	2022	4	0
Total		36	1

As of match played 30 March 2021. Malta score listed first, score column indicates score after each Gambin goal. ^[45]

List of international goals scored by Luke Gambin

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	27 March 2021	Anton Malatinský Stadium, Trnava, Slovakia	27	Slovakia	1–0	2–2	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification	[47]

Honours

Barnet

• Conference Premier: 2014–15 ^[48]

Luton Town

• EFL League Two runner-up: 2017–18 ^[49]

References

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Colchester United" (PDF). English Football League. p. 21. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
2. "Luke Gambin". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
3. "Luke Gambin". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
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5. "Games played by Luke Gambin in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
6. "Luke Gambin agrees pro deal with Barnet". Barnet & Potters Bar Times. 23 May 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
7. "Games played by Luke Gambin in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
8. "Former staff – Luke Gambin". Hendon F.C. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
9. "Aldershot Town 2–1 Hendon". Hendon F.C. 3 November 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
10. Davies, Tom (28 April 2013). "Barnet and Aldershot slide into Conference after AFC Wimbledon win". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
11. Newson, Adam (2 August 2013). "Barnet youngsters Elliot Johnson and Luke Gambin have signed new long-term contracts with the club". Barnet & Potters Bar Times. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
12. "L. Gambin: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
13. Bodell, Tom (9 May 2015). "Cook and Saville released as Barnet announce retained list". Barnet & Potters Bar Times. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
14. "Games played by Luke Gambin in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
15. "League Two: 2015/16: Latest table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
16. "Cambridge United 1–1 Barnet". BBC Sport. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
17. "Barnet winger Luke Gambin rejects move to Leyton Orient". Sky Sports. 29 August 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
18. "Doncaster Rovers 3–2 Barnet". BBC Sport. 8 October 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
19. Walker, Ron (12 January 2017). "Barnet midfielder Luke Gambin transfer listed after turning down new deal at The Hive". Barnet & Potters Bar Times. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
20. "Mullins dismissed as Luton are held by Wycombe". Luton Today. JPIMedia Publishing. 21 January 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
21. "Luton Town 3–0 Hartlepool United". BBC Sport. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
22. Middleton, Nathan (14 May 2017). "Blackpool 3–2 Luton Town". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
23. Mitchell, Brendon (18 May 2017). "Luton Town 3–3 Blackpool (agg: 5–6)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
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26. Simmonds, Mike (17 May 2019). "McCormack leaves Kenilworth Road as Luton release five". Luton Today. JPIMedia Publishing. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
27. Hudson, Matt (26 June 2019). "U's flash: Winger Luke signs up". Colchester United F.C. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
28. Waldron, Jonathan (3 August 2019). "Colchester United play out opening-day draw with Port Vale". Daily Gazette. Colchester. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
29. "Games played by Luke Gambin in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
30. "Crawley 1–3 Colchester: League Two side reach Carabao Cup quarter-finals". BBC Sport. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
31. "Luke Gambin: Colchester United winger joins Newport County on loan". BBC Sport. 20 January 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
32. Kirwan, Chris (23 January 2021). "Newport lose to Oldham after Joss Labadie red card". South Wales Argus. Newport. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
33. Ħamrun Spartans sign Malta attacking midfielder Luke Gambin
34. "Three additions to squad before Charlton game". www.suttonunited.net. 16 July 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
35. "Squad Update". www.suttonunited.net. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
36. @HYUFC_Official (25 November 2023). "Wearing 10. Luke Gambin. An experienced winger featured for Sutton United in Football League last term. Over 30 appearances for Malta previous clubs include Colchester Utd, Newport County, Luton T, Crawley T, Barnet, Hendon & Met Police and AFC Wimbledon u18s" (Tweet). Retrieved 25 November 2023– via Twitter.
37. Azzopardi, Kevin (1 June 2015). "Barnet winger Gambin starts five-day trial". Times of Malta. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
38. "Luke Gambin selected to play for Malta!". Barnet F.C. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
39. Brincat, Henry (27 May 2016). "Malta succumbs to heavy 0–6 defeat against Czech Republic". The Malta Independent. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
40. "The team: Luke Gambin: 2011/12 season". Hemel Hempstead Town F.C. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018.
41. "Games played by Luke Gambin in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
42. "Games played by Luke Gambin in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
43. "Games played by Luke Gambin in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
44. "Games played by Luke Gambin in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
45. "Gambin, Luke". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
    "Slovakia vs. Malta 2–2: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
    "Croatia vs. Malta 3–0: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
46. "Luke Gambin - Soccer player profile & career statistics - Global Sports Archive".
47. "Slovakia vs. Malta 2–2: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
48. Anderson, John, ed. (2015). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2015–2016. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 632–633. ISBN   978-1-4722-2416-3.
49. Anderson, John, ed. (2018). Football Yearbook 2018–2019. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 214–215. ISBN   978-1-4722-6106-9.